The Voice and the Lady
by Beth Abelseth
Summary: Sequel to "The Lady of Night" - Robert, Sarah and Jareth's son, makes a new friend on Earth, but is she the return of a powerful villain? Meanwhile, if Robert is meant to be the Voice of the Labyrinth, who will inherit the Goblin Throne?
1. Into the Oubliette

**Chapter One: Into the Oubliette**

"Robert!" Sarah sat up rigid in bed, gray eyes wide.

"Mmf?" Her husband rolled over and thrust an arm across the bed. "Darling?"

"It's Robert." She was standing at her vanity table, cupping a small clear crystal ball in her palm.

"It's just a bad dream, Sarah. Go back to sleep." Jareth pulled at the blankets, attempting to readjust them.

"No, it's not. Look." She stuck the glowing crystal under his nose. "He's tromping through the forest with Didymus!"

"Yes. I see that." The Goblin King raised a pointed eyebrow. "And?"

"And it's the middle of the night!" Sarah yelped, waving at the moonlight leaking through the window around the edges of the curtain.

Jareth shrugged and rolled back over. "He's a boy, Sarah. Boys do things like this."

"He's talking about leaving the Labyrinth, Jareth." Sarah put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband.

"That's nice," he mumbled.

"Jareth!" The Goblin Queen yanked the blankets off her husband. "Have you forgotten?"

"Hey!" Jareth leaped out of bed and grabbed the other end of the blankets. "In case you hadn't noticed, I happen to be trying to sleep. You may have forgotten, dear, but we did just send home a baby with his mother only three hours ago, and we both have to get up at sunrise, which, I believe is only in a few more hours. So, if you don't mind, I would like to go back to bed, and I suggest you do the same!" He yanked on the cloth, but his wife refused to let go. "Oh, come on, Sarah! The boy is twelve! He can handle himself!"

The Goblin Queen responded calmly but firmly, "if Robert leaves the Labyrinth, he'll get sick and die."

Jareth dropped the blankets. "We don't know that."

"I do." Sarah stubbornly went on, gripping the blanket more and more tightly. "I don't know how I know, but I do. I woke up knowing it."

The Goblin King stepped slowly forward and placed his hands on his wife's elbows. "Sarah, you're trembling!"

"My son," her eyes filled with water, "is going to try to leave the Labyrinth," she swallowed hard, "and if he does, he will get sick and die." Her voice cracked on the last word. "One of us," she added in a whisper, "has to do something about it. Please."

"Don't worry, Sarah." Jareth pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, "everything is going to be fine."

***

"I'm going to find the edge," Robert announced to Didymus with a yawn. "I was looking for Hoggle, because he knows the Labyrinth better than anyone besides my dad. If there is an edge, he'd know where it was."

"I see." Sir Didymus answered quietly. "Perhaps if we rested until morning-"

"No!" Robert fought against another yawn. "I will not rest. If I stop now, they'll come and find me."

"Sire, the labyrinth is especially dangerous after nightfall – surely thou knowest this!"

"I'm not afraid!" The Goblin Prince declared as he continued tramping through the grass.

They were almost to the edge of the forest then, and Robert could see the walls of the brick maze ahead, dark in the moonlit night. He jogged past the last of the tall, leafy trees and continued until his boots were tapping against the bricks.

Sir Didymus hurried after Robert, whistling and calling for Ambrosius. Luckily, the big white sheepdog wasn't too far behind and caught up quickly. Fully mounted on his steed, Didymus felt better about venturing into the dark and shadowy maze, but only just a little.

"Are we still looking for Hoggle, then?" Sir Didymus inquired when they had ventured fairly deeply into the brick area of the Labyrinth.

"Kind of," Robert answered thoughtfully. "Hoggle lives at the front gate, right?"

"That is correct."

"Then he has to be around there sometime, or if he isn't then he has to eventually go back there, right?"

"One would assume so, sire."

"Then, all we have to do is get to the front gate, right?"

"Why, yes." Sir Didymus tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, "but that could take an entire day, my prince."

"Not," Robert couldn't stop the smirk that formed on his lips, "if I know a short cut."

"Oh dear," Didymus felt his heart sink down into his stomach. "Short cuts never go well in the Labyrinth," he muttered. "It's a Labyrinth. There aren't supposed to be shortcuts." Ambrosius whimpered.

"Here it is!" Robert bent down and pried a lump of bricks off the ground. "The oubliette!"

"Why does everyone always call it 'THE oubliette'?" Sir Didymus asked as he stared down into the blackness below. "I thought there were a lot of them all over the Labyrinth?"

"Sometimes it seems like there's a lot," Robert answered as he crouched above the hole, "but actually there's only one that moves all over the Labyrinth."

"Aha! I think I may have guessed at thine logic!" Sir Didymus exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?" Robert smiled at his furry friend. "And what do you think my logic is?"

"You expect that this oubliette will move us closer to the entrance of the Labyrinth!"

Robert laughed. "I wish it was that easy! This is just how we get to the shortcut." He swung his legs over the edge of the hole.

"Ah." Sir Didymus glanced from the Goblin Prince to the dark hole, and back to the prince, then back at the hole. "After you, then, sire."

"Right." Robert swallowed, shut his eyes and pushed himself off into the hole.

Didymus listened as the prince thumped on the floor of the oubliette. Then he looked down at Ambrosius, who whimpered loudly.

"Well?" Robert asked as he lit the candle stub. "Are you coming, Sir Didymus?"

"Now, now, Ambrosius." Didymus tried to calm his dog, "it's just a little dark down there, that's all. It's not even that far of a drop." The sheepdog let out a bark and ran in the opposite direction. "Ambrosius!" Didymus shouted. "I'll be right there, Prince Robert!"


	2. Leilah's First Wish

**Chapter Two: Leilah's First Wish**

Her soft pink lips moved slightly as her dark, almost black, eyes scanned each line of text. Her mass of curling black hair hung still around her pale face. The eleven-year old girl finally let out the breath she'd been holding as the fictional girl announced to the fictional Goblin King that he had no power over her, and was able to get the baby back.

Leilah closed her eyes and rolled over on her back, the old bed creaking slightly. "I love that book," she murmured to herself. "I wish there really was a Labyrinth and a Goblin King, and I would know about it and be friends with the Goblin King and have an adventure with him." She sighed then and opened her eyes, staring at the cracked ceiling. "Too bad it's just a book."

"LEILAH!" The now-familiar crackled shout came from downstairs. "DINNER!"

"COMING!" Leilah shouted back to her foster-mother – the fifth foster-mother she'd had in her life. "Would it kill you to climb the stairs for once instead of yelling your brains out at me?" She grumbled as she left the book on her bed and ran a hand of fingers through her hair before leaving her room and going to dinner.

***

Robert shook his head at Didymus and his dog as the hole above his head closed. Then he bent and fumbled in the darkness until he found the candle stub and the match book. He kicked at some of the debris of his father's, and his own, childhood. The match sputtered into life and took quickly to the blackened wick. The prince looked around and kicked at odds and ends until he found the door handle.

"Aha!" With a huge grin, he put the candle down on a small table and lifted the door. He started towards one of the walls, but then a thought struck him. A sudden moment of inspiration that came from somewhere deep within him and tingled a little at the back of his head.

He put the door down on a bare piece of floor and crouched beside it.

Robert took a deep breath, and grasped the cool handle. It twisted easily under his palm and the door clicked open. He pulled it up and let it fall to the ground, then grabbed the candle stub and leaned over the edge of the doorway. It was like looking into a wall of darkness. He didn't realize he was shaking until he dropped the candle and it fell into the dark. Robert watched as it dwindled into a tiny circle of light, and then a pinprick, and then nothing. There was no sound of it hitting anything. He gulped and leaned over just a little further.

His foot slipped, and the next thing Robert knew, he was tumbling head over heels into darkness, screaming even though he knew no one would be able to hear him. He reached out and felt his hands and arms brushing against something feathery, soft, and cool. His feet kicked violently until they hit something that tangled around them and continued to wrap up his body and cover his mouth, muffling his screaming. It caught his arms and trapped them against his sides, and the Goblin Prince felt himself slowly stop falling.

_Robert Jeremy Williams._

Robert tried to shout out and twisted his body to strike whoever was speaking, but he only swayed back and forth in his suspended prison, and his shout amounted to an unintelligible noise.

_Do not be afraid._

The goblin prince stopped struggling against the nothingness.

_Your parents have delayed preparing you._

"Who are you?" Robert's voice squeaked.

_I am within you._

"What is that supposed to mean?" The boy demanded with a slightly lessened squeak. "Put me down!" His legs kicked out again and he had the sensation that he was rotating his body in circles.

_You will understand._

"I am the Goblin Prince!" Robert's regular 12-year-old voice finally returned to him. "I demand you release me right now!"

Robert had the distinct impression that the darkness was smiling around him. _As you wish, __Goblin Prince._

***

Leilah tossed and turned beneath her blankets, dark eyes refusing to stay shut. She felt the familiar call of the night, the old desire to get up and to be active. Her mind seemed sharper and clearer than in any daylight. She had finished her homework well before midnight, having started it right after dinner. There weren't any books she wanted to read, and she couldn't sneak out to watch the TV without waking her foster parents – she'd tried too many times before and didn't want to get grounded again.

At last, with a huff, she flung her blankets from the bed, lay on her back, and just stared at the ceiling.

A muffled yelp and crash came from her closet and Leilah's head twisted instantly. Her heart rate accelerated as the noises continued. Her fingers gripped the sheet beneath her and she tried to think of what to do. Could it be an intruder? A burglar? A monster?

She frowned at this last thought. Of course it couldn't be a monster, and it certainly couldn't be a burglar or intruder of any kind since she'd been in her room all evening and hadn't seen anyone come in.

The noises stopped.

Leilah took a deep breath and forced her fingers to release the sheet. Holding that breath in, she stood up and crept as quietly as she could to the closet door. Her trembling hand grasped the handled, twisted, and pulled.

Dead silence filled the room. Leilah stared into the gray and brown eyes of the boy who was sitting on the floor of her closet, half buried under a pile of clothes. His eyebrows were pointed and his dark hair was short on top and stuck out all over his head, but long in the back and hung down to his shoulders.

"Who are you?" She whispered, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm-I'm Robert." He stuttered quietly, "the Goblin Prince."

Leilah blinked and glanced at her bookshelf, where her copy of _The Labyrinth_ sat. "That's weird."

"Why?" The boy's breathing was settling into a more normal rhythm.

"Well, in the book, the Goblin King didn't have a son, or a wife." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. "How did you get in my closet?"

Robert shrugged. "I-I'm not sure. I think...wait, where am I?" He suddenly grappled with the clothes around him, attempting to get to his feet. "Is this part of the Labyrinth?"

"Shh!" Leilah hissed, reaching into the closet and helping him with the clothes. "Be quiet! You'll wake up my foster parents, and believe me, you don't want to wake them up. Come here." She dragged him into her room and pulled out her desk chair for him while she plopped onto the edge of her bed. "Okay. Let me get this straight. Are you from the Labyrinth?"

"Yes," Robert answered slowly, "and you aren't?"

"No!" Leilah had to stop herself from bouncing. "Are you really from the Labyrinth? I thought it was just a book!" Suddenly she gasped. "Oh! I made that wish today, didn't I?" She frowned. "But I wished for the Goblin King, not the Goblin Prince."

Robert's forehead creased. "What are you talking about?"

"Here." Leilah went to her bookshelf and snatched up her favorite book. "Until now I though the Labyrinth was just a made up story. But if you came from there, then it must be real, right?"

"Of course the Labyrinth is real!" Robert retorted, standing up.

"Shut up!" Leilah hissed, standing up as well and attempting to push him back into the chair.

The Goblin Prince grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the bed before she could get him to sit down. "Now you listen to me," he whispered, leaning close to her face, looking directly into her dark, dark eyes, "I am the Goblin Prince, and no one tells the Goblin Prince to shut up, or pushes him. So now you are going to tell me something instead of just asking me questions. Where am I?"

Leilah stared at him for a moment, feeling oddly dazed and slightly nauseous. "Um...you're on Earth. You're not in the Labyrinth anymore."

Robert smiled.


	3. Direction

**Chapter Three: Direction**

"I must have married the most stubborn woman in the world." Jareth muttered as he lowered himself into the cavern beneath the oubliette. "She's probably watching me right now." He glared in no particular direction.

_You waited too long._

"Hi, how are you?" The Goblin King asked sarcastically. "Oh, I'm just fine, thanks for asking. How are you? Oh, by the way, did my son happen to pass through here?"

_Testy._

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me. My wife woke me up in the middle of the night because our son has run off to Earth where he will get sick and d ie if he does not come home soon, and you let him go."

_Really? I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. You know, if you had started training him when he was younger, this would not be a problem._

"No, because then he would have sent himself there!"

_If you had trained him properly and shown him what he can do here, he would not have felt the need to go anywhere else!_

"Have you ever raised a child? Do you have any idea how curious and stubborn they get at his age? He would have found a reason to go anyway and then he would have had power to misuse!"

_He wouldn't have misused it if his upbringing had been better._

"I'm choosing not to respond to that." Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I just came here to ask you where you sent him exactly so that I don't have to traverse the entire planet to find him."

_Why not look for him in your precious crystals?_

Jareth's face scrunched into a kind of pouting frown. "They're not working. We can't see him."

_Oh? I wonder why..._

"Don't play dumb. Sarah and I think it's because the magic's leaking out of him. Not that he's losing it, but that there's so much of it in him he can't help using it. He doesn't know that he's doing it."

_I suppose that's reasonable. It's a sign that you've waited too long._

The Goblin King sighed heavily. "Are you going to tell me where he is or not?"

The Labyrinth's consciousness drew itself together. _No._

Jareth closed his eyes. "Why?"

_You don't need to know. He's going to want to come home soon. He may just show up in his room or you may be able to see him at any moment. In any case, you don't need my help to find him. You are underestimating the bond between a parent and his child. Oh, and since we're talking about training him anyway, you need to start as soon as he gets back. Just a suggestion._

The Goblin King leaped up and grabbed the edge of the door frame. He yanked himself up and slammed the door against the ground. Then he sat in the dark and allowed his anger to steam.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Leilah grabbed Robert around the waist and yanked him back from the door knob. "You can't just wander around my house at night!" She didn't release him until they had tumbled to the floor. "You'll wake up my foster parents and they'll kill you!" She hissed in a desperate whisper.

"I'm the Goblin Prince!" Robert hissed back, as he stood up and brushed off his clothes. "No one's going to kill me."

"You don't get it!" Leilah pleaded with him. "As far as anyone here is concerned, you're just some kid breaking into their house to steal something. They'll call the police and lock you up forever, and you'll never be able to go home."

Robert felt the shock of the idea of never going home. Something in his stomach turned over uncomfortably.

"Here," the girl got up and went to her window. "Go out this way. They won't find you." She unlocked it and pushed it open. "And," she added for good measure, "if you let me come with you, I can show you around."

The Goblin Prince studied the girl, dark haired, dark eyed, pale skinned. There was something about the glint in her dark eyes that excited him. "Okay. Let's go."

So Leilah grabbed her sneakers from the closet and led the way through the window and down to the street. "What would you like to see first?"

"Actually, I have a cousin who lives here somewhere." He racked his brain, trying to remember something that would be useful.

"Okay. Do you know where they live?"

Robert shrugged as they walked on toward the main road. "Our Uncle lives in an apartment, but I don't know anything else."

"Do you know their name?" Leilah continued fishing for information.

"Brian Smith."

"Brian Smith?" The girl tried to calculate how common a name like that could be. "Is he kind of tall, about 14 years old, with blond hair and green eyes and a really big smile?"

Robert stopped walking and grabbed her by the elbow. "Do you know him or something?"

Leilah blushed. "There's a kid at my school named Brian Smith, who looks like that. I was at a party at his parents' house for Halloween this year. I can show you where it is."

"That's great!" Robert started forward again. "Lead the way!"

"Okay." Leilah walked faster to keep up with him, as a thought suddenly occurred toh er. "How does the Goblin Prince have a cousin who lives on Earth?"

"My mother's from here." Robert explained quickly, "she came to the Labyrinth to get my uncle back from my father and they fell in love, only she didn't stay right away. She saved my Uncle Toby and brought him back and then wished herself back to the Labyrinth by accident and my father convinced her to stay there and marry him. I mean, they've always loved each other, really, even though sometimes they forget they do."


	4. Brian

**Chapter Four: Brian**

When they arrived at the small ranch-style house, Robert started walking toward the front door, but Leilah tackled him before he could get there. They rolled around in the grass, struggling against each other for a few minutes. Finally, Robert threw her off himself and stood up slowly, breathing heavily.

"Why do you keep doing that?" He demanded in a loud whisper.

_At least he's not shouting,_ Leilah thought to herself. "Doing what?" She whispered as she picked herself up.

"Attacking me!" Robert answered in exasperation.

"Well you don't listen to me when I try to tell you things, and what if the house was alarmed? You would have set off the burglar alarm and gone to jail for a really long time. I just saved your life." She stuck her nose up in the air and marched to the side yard. "Do you know which room is your cousin's?"

"Um," Robert watched the house carefully as they walked around, "actually, I've only ever seen him at my Uncle Toby's house. I have no idea."

Leilah turned around and gave him an are-you-serious-look. She shook her head and turned back to the house, choosing not to actually make a verbal comment. "Okay, then let's try to see inside." She crept up to one window and peered in at a bathroom. "That's not it."

"This looks like his mom's room," Robert whispered from her left.

"So that leaves this window." Leilah went to the window on her right and knocked on the glass. Then she tried to lift it. Luckily, it was unlocked. "Hello?" She stuck her head in through the dark blue curtain.

"Yeah, I know, study the monkeymuddfless." A teenage boy rolled over in his bed, kicking at his sheets.

Leilah lowered herself into the room and waved at Robert to follow. The Goblin Prince fell through the window, crashing against Brian's desk and knocked off the jar of pencils.

"Wassup?" The teenager sat up in bed and looked around the room. "Hello?" He squinted into the darkness.

"Brian?" Robert got up, rubbing a bump on his head. "Sorry about your pencils. It's me, Rob."

Brian blinked at the shadow of his cousin. "Robert Williams?"

"Yeah, how many Roberts do you know?"

"What are you doing in my room?" Brian glanced at his clock, which still sat on his desk, displaying bright red numbers. "It's 3am. And who's that?"

"I'm Leilah." The girl answered, sticking out her hand. "I'm a friend of Sarah. I was at your Halloween Party."

"Oh, that one." Brian whispered loudly. "Yeah, I guess I remember you. It's dark, though." He turned to Robert, who was picking up the pencils and putting them away. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I just come to visit my cousin?" Robert asked defensively.

Brian's eyes narrowed as his younger cousin put the jar of pencils back on the desk. "Go back outside. I'll be there in a minute," he whispered.

Leilah and Robert climbed through the window and Robert followed them a few minutes later, wearing light blue jeans, flip-flops, and a black hooded sweater.

"Let's take a walk," Brian suggested. "There's a park down the street."

The other two followed him silently. Their footsteps sounded muffled as they walked down the sidewalk. When they got to the park, Brian picked a bench and sat himself down.

"So," He smiled once the bench was full, "my little cousin finally decided to run away from home."

"How did you know?" Robert sat up straight, clearly surprised.

Brian laughed out loud. "Come on, Robbie. It's 3am, and you expected me not to think something was up?" He shook his head and glanced at the girl on his other side. "How much does she know?"

Robert shrugged. "About what?"

"You know," Brian waggled his eyebrows, "where you come from, and your parents."

"Oh, well I told her everything. Do people here really not think the Labyrinth is real?"

Brian frowned. "Didn't your parents tell you anything?"

"No!" Robert yelped. "The only thing they would ever tell me about this place is that I couldn't come unless I went with them and if I did come by myself it would be dangerous!" He waved his hands around, "well, here I am, and does it look like I'm in danger? No! It does not. So they lied!" He stopped yelling because a sudden fit of coughing forced him to.

"Woah, woah, slow down." Brian patted his cousin lightly on the shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Robert wheezed. "I'm fine."

Brian watched the younger boy carefully. "Okay..." He cleared his throat. "So you wanted to see Earth because your parents said you couldn't come."

"I guess you could put it that way." Robert dug the toe of his boot into the dirt.

"Okay," Brian run his fingers through his hair, "you've come, and you've seen it, and now it's time to go home."

"What!" Robert jumped up and had another coughing fit. He hacked until he doubled over.

Brian watched him intensely. "Look, there has to be a way to call your parents, right? At least let them know you're safe." _Even if you are hacking up half your lungs._ He added in his head.

"Maybe." The Goblin Prince mumbled sullenly. "I guess I could call them."

"Yeah," Brian forced himself to smile. "That'd be great! I'd really like to see them."

"Fine." Robert scowled at his cousin.

Leilah dug her fingers into the wooden bench to keep from leaping out of her seat. It seemed that her wish would be coming true after all.


	5. Back to the Labyrinth

**Chapter Five: Back To the Labyrinth**

Jareth felt it like a tingle in the back of his head. Suddenly, sitting in the darkness of the oubliette, he knew exactly where Robert was, and he vanished.

In the park, the Goblin King found himself face to face with Robert, his cousin Brian, and a vaguely familiar-looking girl with dark curly hair, dark eyes, and very pale skin. Robert was sitting on the bench with his arms folded, pouting royally.

"Hi Jareth." Brian stood up and extended his hand.

"Brian." Jareth shook the hand politely, glaring at his son over Brian's shoulder. "Robert, it's time to go home. Your mother is worried sick."

"I don't want to go." Robert grumbled with a slight wheeze.

Jareth's face softened as he took in the full state of his son. There were dark circles under his eyes, and they were also red-rimmed. The boy sniffled every other second, and the Goblin King was sure he could hear the difficulty Rob was having breathing. He sighed heavily and turned back to Brian.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on him."

Brian shrugged. "Family first."

Jareth smiled, and gave the dark haired girl his full attention. "And who are you?"

"I'm Leilah," the girl stood up, "and I wished that I would have an adventure with you, but I got stuck with your son instead."

Jareth raised a pointed eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Robert groaned then and leaned over the bench to throw up. Brian and Leilah took a few steps back.

"Are you ready to go home, now?" The Goblin King asked of his son, standing with his hands on his hips.

"No." Robert's voice shook, but his will seemed absolute.

Jareth rolled his eyes. "What are you waiting for?" He quipped. "Organ failure?"

"What?" Robert coughed. "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't we told you before why you can't come here often or stay for very long?"

"Maybe." The boy whispered.

Jareth knelt beside his son. "It's because of his," he motioned at the puke on the ground. "Your life is tied to the labyrinth. If you're away too much you get sick, and if you stay away too long, you will die."

Robert turned his gray and brown eyes on his father with a look of sheer loathing. "Then you're saying I'm trapped there."

The Goblin King ran the backs of his fingers along the side of his son's face. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"I hate you." Robert spat through clenched teeth. Then he was gone.

Jareth sighed deeply, fists clenching, as he stood, feeling beat up and broken. Then he followed Robert back to the Labyrinth.

"WAIT!" Leilah shouted, jumping after the Goblin King. "No! I made a wish! You're supposed to grant wishes!"

"Actually," Brian said thoughtfully, "it's the goblins and the labyrinth that grant wishes. Jareth and Sarah and Robert just have to go along with them."

Leilah frowned, the gears in her head turning furiously. "Oh!" The words sprang up in her mind, directly out of the book she had been reading earlier. "I wish the goblins would come and take me away to the Labyrinth right now!"

"Wait!" Brian tried to clamp his hands around her mouth, but he was too late. "Oh no!" Even as he held the struggling girl, he could hear the snickering goblins surrounding them, preparing to take them away to the Labyrinth. He sighed. "Well," he reasoned aloud, "I guess it was going to happen eventually."

***

"Oh Robert!" Sarah bent to embrace the boy, but he stepped away from her and shouted.

"I HATE YOU!" Then he took off, running from the throne room to his own bedroom and slamming the door behind him.

Jareth and Sarah slumped into their thrones. "What did I do?" She asked her husband.

"We took away his freedom," Jareth answered softly. "He realizes now that he's trapped here for the rest of his life, however painfully long that may be." He wanted to throw something and looked around for a goblin. "Where is everyone?" He asked, looking around the room that was filling with morning light.

"They all ran off just before you arrived." Sarah answered morbidly. "I think we'll be stuck with babysitting duty today."

"Perfect." The Goblin King covered his face with a hand.

"Ow! Hey! That hurts!"

"Brian?" Sarah stood up as the goblins half-carried, half-hauled Brian and Leilah into the room.

"Hi Sarah." He gave her a weak smile and waved. Technically, they were cousins through Sarah's step-father.

"What's going on? Who is this?" She waved her hands a the girl who had rolled into the room ahead of him.

"I'm Leilah." The girl stood up and stuck out her hand.

Sarah eyed her carefully. "Have we met before?"

"Nope." The girl assured her, putting her hands behind her back. "I read the Labyrinth, and then I wished to have an adventure with the Goblin King, but all I got was the Goblin Prince, which I didn't even know he existed, or you – you're the Goblin Queen, right? Yeah, so when the King finally showed up to take his son back, and didn't give me my wish, I made another wish that the goblins would take me away to the Labyrinth right now, and that's exactly what they did." She grinned.

Sarah looked at Brian.

"Hey," he stood up and straightened himself out. "I tried to stop her."

Sarah and Jareth took a simultaneous deep breath.

"Well," the Goblin King said, standing up, "you're here. Now it's time for you to go home."

"No!" Leilah shouted. "I don't want to go home! Please, you don't understand!"

The Goblin Queen put a hand on the King's shoulder. "Then please, explain."

"Um," Leilah's toes dug into the stones of the floor. "Well, you see, I'm a foster kid and I've had too many foster parents already and I hate all of them and none of them actually like me, and I thought maybe if I stayed here, then I could just live here and help you out with whatever you need help with, like babysitting or whatever, and then I wouldn't have to go to school or anything."

"Let her stay." Robert was standing at the door to the throne room, wearing clean clothes, and carrying himself like a prince.

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other in mutual concern.


	6. Explanations

**Chapter Six: Explanations**

"I'm afraid that's not how it works." Jareth tried to explain. "The Labyrinth is for learning lessons and going home. You don't just wish yourself here forever."

"I wish I would stay here forever." Leilah immediately blurted.

The Goblin King's hands clenched into fists as he resisted the urge to torture her with magic.

"Good." Robert stepped into the room and approached the thrones. "We need to talk."

Jareth relaxed a little and took a deep breath. "You're right. We do." He turned to Sarah, who gave him a pleading look. "We've waited too long as it is, my love. It had to happen sometime." Sarah looked on her son with tears in her eyes. "Brian?" Jareth turned to the older boy, "would you keep an eye on Leilah for a while? We need to talk with Robert."

"Um, sure," Brian looked down at the girl. "Just someone might want to let my parents know what's up."

"I'll give them a call." Sarah promised, and left the throne room ahead of her husband and son.

"Okay," Brian said to Leilah. "Wanna go see the city?"

"I want to hang out with the Goblin King." Leilah muttered.

"Yeah, well, he's busy right now with family stuff." Brian told her, putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her out of the room. "You can talk to him later."

***

"Robert, there's something we probably should have told you about a long time ago." The Goblin King began when they were standing around the peach tree in the castle garden.

"We didn't want to burden you." Sarah added. "So we tried to wait as long as possible."

"But now it's time." Jareth continued. "It starts a very long time ago, when I was just about your age, actually." He sat in the shade of the tree. "The Labyrinth felt sorry that I was the only human and it created a girl for me to be friends with, only she wasn't a very good friend. Actually, she somehow thought that she should be the one ruling the Labyrinth instead of me since it made her and she was made for it. So we started fighting and I managed to drive her into the Shadows beyond the Labyrinth, and I bound her there, but that wasn't until we were older."

"Later on," Sarah picked up when Jareth fell silent, "she came back. I accidentally woke her up and let her out. She nearly killed us and took over the Labyrinth, but we managed to stop her with some extra help from the Labyrinth."

"The Labyrinth?" Robert asked curiously. "How did it help you?"

"Well, I had a dream," Sarah explained, "and I met the spirit of the Labyrinth, and we talked, and we made a deal. The Labyrinth promised to help us defeat the Lady of Night if we promised that our first child would become the Voice of the Labyrinth."

"You see, Robert," Jareth jumped back in, "the Labyrinth can't talk to us unless we go to it and call on it, but sometimes the Labyrinth has things to say to us even when we don't have anything to say to it. So, the Labyrinth wants its own voice. It wants someone who will speak for it when it needs to say something no matter what."

"And that's what we promised you would become." Sarah finished. "The Voice of the Labyrinth."

Robert, who had been standing this whole time, sat heavily on the ground. "Oh."

"We know it's a lot to take in." Sarah tried to console him, reaching out to put a hand on his cheek.

Robert flinched away. "Don't touch me." He stood up again abruptly. "You didn't even let me have a choice. You just promised me away to save your own skins."

The Goblin King stood as well and put an iron hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him from leaving. "You listen to me Robert Williams, Goblin Prince. If we had let the Lady of Night win, the Labyrinth would have rotted. The Goblins would have died, the maze would have destroyed itself, and only the shadows would have lived. If that had happened, and she had found the link between this world and Earth, then only shadows, darkness, doubt, fear, and the like would have gotten through into Earth. It would have led to Earth's destruction. We do not simply rule the Goblin City and deal with babes and the stupid humans who wished them away. We protect Earth from the Shadows, and we provide a place for learning lessons and growth that some humans desperately need. So before you go making accusations of selfishness, look at your own actions and think for a moment who you were serving when you left this place last night." Then he released the boy and watched him run, teary-eyed to the castle.

"Must you be so hard on him?" Sarah asked sorrowfully.

"He needs to learn what it means to be a Prince." Jareth explained. "He can't go on just thinking about what he wants or what he's been denied. He has to think about his family, his kingdom, the Labyrinth, and Earth. You had to learn it, and so did I. If you want to be a King or a Queen or a Prince, you must always put yourself last."

Sarah sighed and hugged her husband. Jareth hugged her back, holding her gently.

***

"Wow," Leilah breathed as they approached the exit of the city. "I never imagined a Goblin City could be so...so..."

"Human?" Brian laughed. "Yeah, me either. I was really excited when I found out, though. My parents used to bring me here to visit sometimes, and I would always want to go out in the city with Rob and play with the goblin children."

"Hey! Watch it!" A goblin yelped behind them as his wagon of apples was turned over by a running boy.

"Robert?" Brian tried to stop the prince, but he sidestepped around him and dashed through the gates. "What happened?" He looked to Leilah, who looked back to him with a shrug.


	7. The Quest Begins

**Chapter Seven: The Quest Begins**

"What happened to Robert?" Brian asked when he and Leilah had arrived at the throne room, where Jareth and Sarah were talking.

"What do you mean?" Jareth asked, breaking off in the middle of his sentence.

"He ran past us through the city gates." Brian explained.

"Oh no." Sarah stood. "My Robert."

"Stop." Jareth got up and put a hand on her shoulder. "He won't want to talk to us again, I promise you that." He looked to Brian and Leilah.

"Woah, come on." Brian shuffled backwards a few steps. "I've never been in that Labyrinth and there's a reason for that. I've heard enough stories about enough people to know it's not a good idea."

"Someone has to go after Robert." Sarah pleaded.

"I'll go." Leilah announced casually. "I've always wanted to do it for myself."

"Do what for yourself?" Jareth asked.

"Solve the Labyrinth." She smiled.

Jareth took a deep breath. "Brian, will you go with her?"

Brian sized Leilah up. "Are you sure this is such a good idea? We don't have any special powers or anything."

"You don't need any." Sarah promised them. "I solved the Labyrinth when I was about your age, Brian, and all I had were my wits. You'll do just fine, I'm sure."

"Yes, I agree." Jareth added. "But you'd best get going soon. Here." He reached into the air and pulled out a few gold coins. "Use this to buy yourselves some food and whatever else you need in the city before you go. I expect Robert will be hard to find and hard to bring back as well. And, here," he plucked a crystal from the air as well. "Whenever you're not sure which way to go, just set it down and let it roll. It will lead you to our son."

Brian reached out to accept the gifts. "Thanks, um, just how long do you think this is going to take?"

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other. "It is a typical quest," Jareth suggested, "getting through the Labyrinth, anyway."

Sarah shrugged and turned to Brian. "It usually takes people 13 hours to get through the Labyrinth, but then you'll have to come all the way back as well. And Robert might not come willingly."

"So we're looking at a day or two?" Brian asked.

"Possibly three." Jareth added. "Don't worry about your parents. We'll figure something out."

Brian looked nervously at Leilah, who had the biggest, widest smile on her face he'd ever seen on anyone. "Well," he said, turning to leave, "here goes nothing."

***

Robert ran until he tripped on a loose stone and tumbled head over heels through the lair of the fireys, over the edge of the cliff, and down toward the bog of eternal stench. It was a tree branch that saved him. He held on to it and fought against crying.

After he had sufficient control of his eyes, he swung himself onto a ledge and started to make his way down toward dry land.

_It's not fair._ He kept thinking to himself. _It's not fair. It's not fair. Nobody asked me if I wanted to be a prince, or the Goblin Prince. Nobody asked me if I wanted to be the stupid Voice of the Stupid Labyrinth. It's not fair._

A second voice inserted itself between his thoughts. _It's not life that's fair, Robert. It's all our lives together that are fair._

Robert stopped moving and shook his head as if to dislodge the oddly familiar voice. He looked around quickly to see if anyone was following him, but he couldn't see anyone. Heart pounding, he continued thoughtlessly until he reached the dry ground that rand through the bog like a maze of its own and started winding his way through it.

_Where should I go?_ He wondered to himself as he went. _They'll know to look for me at the oubliette. I can't go back to Earth, damn them all. But maybe the Shadows. Maybe I could find the Shadows. They'd never look for me there. They'd never dare to go to the Shadows for anything. So that's where I'll go, and I'll live there forever, and no one will tell me what to do or who to be, and I can just be free forever._

_ Freedom, _the voice that did not belong to Robert whispered in his ear, _is a matter of perspective._

***

"Well," Brian announced when they were standing on the outside of the gates to the city, staring at the heaps of garbage people. "Which way do you think he went?" He was hefting a backpack filled with food for three people for three days, along with some odds and ends that he'd bought with the change: string, some paper and a few pens, a light blanket, two books of matches. In his belt, he'd stuck a large knife he'd also gotten in the market, along with a large leather canteen of water.

"That way," Leilah pointed ahead at the mess created when a pile of garbage had been knocked over. "See? Toward the forest."

"Yeah, I see." Brian followed Leilah's light steps into the stinky mess. "I just hope we don't run into anything too dangerous."

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about," Leilah promised. "I've read all about it, and there's nothing that could really kill you, I think. Except for that machine in the tunnels. And I guess if the fireys actually pulled you apart that would probably kill you."

"Okay! Okay!" Brian interrupted her rambling. "I really don't want to know about it unless we have to deal with it, alright?" He glanced up at the sky. "We've still got a full day of light ahead of us, so don't waste your breath talking, okay?"


	8. Finding the Shadows

_Author's Note: Hey everyone! I bet you thought I had abandoned this fic! Well, actually, I just wasn't sure how I was going to end, so I set it aside until I could figure it out. Now I think I've got it, so here are two new chapters, with more on the way! Please leave comments! Thanks!!!_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Finding the Shadows**

"You know, dear," Jareth mumbled from his throne, gazing into the crystal ball, watching Brian and Leilah's progress, "I can't help but thinking that Leilah reminds me of someone."

"How could she?" Sarah snapped. "She's barely older than Robert." The Goblin Queen was pacing the floor, watching her son in a crystal of her own.

"I don't know, Sara." Jareth answered sullenly. "I only know she looks familiar."

***

"I hate volleyball!" A screechy voice yelped.

"Well I hate baseball!" An equally screechy voice yelped back.

"And I hate golf!"

"Wait! My turn! I hate...ummm...I hate..."

"We hate you!" The other screechy voices ganged up together.

Brian and Leilah passed quietly around the firey's camp, the crystal weighing down Brian's pocket. When they were a safe distance away, he took it out and let it roll. It tumbled over the edge of a cliff and dropped into the Bog of Eternal Stench.

"Ugh," Brian yelped as he leaned out over the bog, "you've got to be kidding!"

"Cool!" Leilah sat down and swung her legs over the edge of the cliff.

"No! Don't!" Brian tried to grab her, but he was too late.

Leilah squealed with joy as she rocketed down, bouncing off ledges and shrubs growing out of the side of the cliff, hurtling toward the Bog of Eternal Stench.

"Hey," shouted a screechy voice from behind Brian, "what was that?"

"VOLLEYBALL!" Shouted another voice.

"Oh no." Brian looked down at the bog, then back over his shoulder. "Ew." He stepped out over the edge and grabbed at every shrub he passed, hoping he would land on a patch of dry ground.

***

Robert wound his way through the sand-stone maze, thinking hard about where the Shadows could possibly be hiding. His stomach growled with hunger, but he ignored it. As soon as he found the Shadows, he'd be fine. He wouldn't need to worry about anything as soon as he found the Shadows.

_If only it could be so easy, _the now obnoxious voice in the back of his head muttered at his thoughts. Robert shook his head and kept on going, ignoring the voice, hoping it would go away soon.

***

It was all Brian could do to keep Leilah from hurtling into the bog after the lost crystal. "Don't worry about it!" He told her as he kept a firm grip on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out without it. How hard can it be to find him?"

Leilah turned around and glared at him. "You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"

He blinked at her. "I think I know my own cousin. We can figure it out by guessing where he went."

Something squelched just beside their dry island and the stench of the bog intensified for a very uncomfortable minute.

"Ugh!" Brian gasped, "but first we've got to get out of here! Come on!" He shoved her in the only dry direction and kept on pushing her forward and pulling her away from the muck that would make her stink forever.

When they got to the end, they found Sir Didymus sitting on the far stoop of his bridge, his head in his hands. Leilah screamed and dashed over to him immediately.

"Areyoureallysirdidymus?" She panted at him.

"I beg your pardon?" The little fox asked slowly and sadly.

"Hey Sir Didymus," Brian rubbed the fox's head as he approached. "This is Leilah. She's a fan of the Labyrinth."

"Ah, well, my lady," Sir Didymus stood and managed a little bow. "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you."

"Ohmygoshareyoureal-"

"We're looking for Robert." Brian interrupted Leilah, giving her a sharp pinch.

"Ow!" Leilah rubbed her shoulder where his fingers had bruised her.

"Alas! Poor Prince Robert!" Sir Didymus howled. "I tried to stop him, but I fear I was too late! He said he was leaving the Labyrinth."

"He did." Brian shrugged. "Then he came back. Now he's run off again. I think he's going to try to find someplace where we'll never think to look for him. Do you know of anyplace like that? I mean, he's not here, obviously. We just came through."

Sir Didymus took in a very deep sigh. "Well, I suppose...have his parents told him...everything?"

Brian shrugged again. "I don't know. They had a talk right before he ran away. Whatever they told him made him really mad."

The fox knight nodded. "Yes, well, I suppose they must have told him." He looked sideways at Leilah, who was poking at a bright purple flower sticking up out of a crack in the ground. "Who is she exactly?" Didymus lowered his voice. "I could swear I have seen her before."

"She's just some girl Robert picked up on Earth. What about Robert?"

"Ah, yes, well," Sir Didymus wrinkled his furry brow. "I suppose he would try to go somewhere that no one has been to in a long while, where no one would think to even try to go anytime soon." He sighed heavily again. "It might be he went to find the Shadows."

"What Shadows?" Leilah stood and faced them, apparently bored with the purple flower.

"It's best if we talk on the way." Sir Didymus drew himself up and whistled loudly. "Ambrosius! Here boy!"

The shaggy white and gray dog waddled out from between the trees with a happy bark.

"Yes, good boy, hup!" And the fox knight mounted his steed. "Onward! I believe, this would be the way." He started off toward the sand-stone part of the Labyrinth.

"So," Brian hedged, keeping an eye on Leilah, who was looking at everything except the road under her feet. "about those Shadows?"

"Right," Sir Didymus answered, "well, when the Lady of Night was banished from the Labyrinth by Jareth so very many years ago, she went to a place filled with Shadows and they became hers. They did her bidding and gave her power. It was the darker side of the Labyrinth."

"How do we find them?" Leilah asked, poking at a rock that seemed to have eyeballs on the top.

"Watch it!" The rock croaked and snapped a mouth at her.

"Oh! Sorry!"

Brian shoved her onward.

"We find them," Sir Didymus went on, "by finding the edge of the Labyrinth."

"And where's that?" Brian asked.

"Oh, it changes, just like everything else. The best way to get there, is just to keep thinking about it. If you think about it hard enough, it'll come to us."

"Great," Brian complained, "now we're calling the danger to come and find us. Fantastic."

Leilah grinned hugely.


	9. The Giant Worm

**Chapter Nine: The Giant Worm**

Brian noticed the growling first. "What's that?" He asked tentatively.

"Oh it's just Ambrosius' stomach, isn't it boy?" Sir Didymus answered cheerfully.

Ambrosius whimpered, trembling violently.

"Maybe it's a monster!" Leilah yelped excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Oh, I hope not." Brian whispered.

The ground started shaking then, and everyone stopped, waiting for something to happen. The sandstones just in front of them exploded and a giant slimy worm with a mouth full of sharp, needle-like teeth erupted with a roar. Brian's knees shook so hard he was afraid they would buckle and he'd drop to the ground. Leilah screamed appreciatively, and Ambrosius took off in the opposite direction of the worm at lightning speed, must to Sir Didymus' dislike.

"Leilah!" Brian grabbed at her shoulder, but she was already charging right up to the monster and laying her hands on it. "That's not a normal worm!"

"I know!" She squeaked with excitement. "Isn't it awesome!"

"It's going to eat you!" He shouted as the worm looked hungrily down at her, drooling immensely.

Leilah frowned. "No it's not."

"What?" Brian ran after her and took her around the waist, dragging her away.

"No! Let me go! Put me down!" She kicked and swatted at him, but he wouldn't release her.

The worm roared again and snapped at them, catching Leilah's foot in its jaws.

"Let me go!" Leilah screamed.

Brian shouted in fear and tried with all his might to keep hold of her, but the worm was too strong for him. It ripped her out of his grip and hauled her into the air.

Leilah found herself starting into its beady black eyes. "Hi!" She said breathlessly. "We need to find the edge of the Labyrinth so we can find the Shadows. Can you lead us there?"

It roared at her and opened its jaws as wide as it could, tossing her into its mouth.

"Hey!" She shouted, kicking as she hit its slimy throat. "Let me out you overgrown slug!" Something bubbled inside her and forced its way outward like a wave of heat and energy. It vibrated through her body and she felt it touch the mind of the giant worm. "Let me out!" She demanded again.

This time, the worm choked her up and spat her out on the ground in front of Brian.

"Yuck," Leilah spluttered as she stood up and tried to wipe some of the slime off her clothes. "Okay, you," she turned her pointer finger on the giant worm. "You're going to dig us a tunnel all the way to the edge of the Labyrinth, where the Shadows are." The bubble of energy expanded within her again, and touched the worm's mind.

The monster nodded and turned around, digging furiously through the dirt beneath the sandstone maze.

"Leilah," was all Brian could say. "What...how...?"

She shrugged. "It just takes a firm touch." Then she jumped down into the worm's hole, moving along it at a jog.

There was nothing for Brian to do but follow.

***

Robert nearly ran past the tunnel in the sandstone wall, but stopped just in time. It went downward, and it looked darker than any space he'd ever crawled into before. If the Shadows were going to be anywhere, they were probably going to be in there. He ran headlong into the blackness.

***

"Love," Jareth stood and put a warm hand on Sarah's shoulder. "You should see-"

"Jareth, he's found it!" She shrieked, looking at him with wide terrified eyes.

"Found what?" He took half a step back.

"The Shadows," her whisper shook.

"What?" Jareth leaned over her shoulder and stared into the black crystal.

***

Brian and Leilah walked into a darkness that was so thick it was a surprise they could hear themselves breathing.

"Can you feel them?" Leilah asked in a thrilled whisper.

"Feel what?" Brian shivered. "It's cold."

"The Shadows." She whispered. "It's like they're saying 'hello'." They felt like warm scarves wrapping loosely all around her. "They know me."

"What are you talking about?" Brian demanded, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.

Leilah stopped walking and held out her arms, welcoming the warm embrace of her shadows. Yes, they were hers. She knew they were. But how? Why? It was so dark and comfortable, just like the nights she loved so much. Night. The Lady of Night. Hadn't that been a name of hers once before?

"Oh!" Her eyes snapped open wide. Flashes of memory zipped through her head. Jareth as a boy, the fights they used to have, being locked away, finding her way out, then being thrust out of the Labyrinth altogether. "Oh," and this time her exclamation was filled with rage. "Jareth," she seethed. "I remember you now."

"What?" Brian was waving his hands out in front of him, trying to find her. "Leilah, where are you?" Finally, his elbow hit her shoulder, and he grabbed firmly onto her. "Aha! Okay, which way now?"

"Robert." Leilah growled, feeling the warm Shadows growing with the bubble inside of her. "We're going where Robert is."


	10. Leilah's Power

**Chapter Ten: Leilah's Power**

"That's it," Jareth vanished the crystal in his hand. "I'm going."

"I thought," Sarah turned on him, "you said Robert wouldn't listen to us."

"That's not my biggest worry anymore." The Goblin King growled. "Leilah is the Lady of Night reborn, and now she remembers."

Sarah dropped her crystal, which clinked as it bounced on the stone floor. "I thought we destroyed here."

Jareth shook his head. "We didn't do anything. It was the Labyrinth, and evidently, the Labyrinth saw fit to put her in a new body and give her a new life." He placed his hands gently on either side of her face. "Don't worry, my love. I'll bring them home safe."

"I want to come," Sarah's voice was thick with tears. "I want to help."

"No. I need you here. What if someone wishes a baby away?" His mismatched eyes searched hers carefully, hoping she would listen to him. "Please, Sarah, if you never do what I ask you to do again, please do this for me. Stay here." _Stay safe_, he thought to himself.

"I'll watch you," Sarah answered defiantly, "and if it looks like you need help, I'm coming." She threw herself into his arms for one quick embrace.

"I love you, Sarah."

"I love you, Jareth."

And then he was gone.

***

_Amazing!_ The voice in the back of Robert's head intoned. _Your parents are still trying to botch things up! You know, it's a wonder I haven't been destroyed yet._

"Will you shut up!" Robert shouted into the blackness.

_Finally! I was wondering when you were going to acknowledge me. Listen, we need to talk._

"Huh," Robert scoffed, "Well since you refuse to stop talking I don't see how I have a choice." He took a deep breath and sat down on the ground he couldn't see.

_Well, you've certainly found the Shadows, which would be impressive for anyone except you._

"What does that mean?" The Goblin Prince asked aloud, vaguely aware that he had just been paid a compliment.

_It means you have immense power and immense magic, and the reason for that is because you and I are linked. I am the spirit of the Labyrinth. I am within you, and I am without you. I am part of you, but I am not you. You, Robert Jeremy Williams, are within me, and part of me, but you are not me. Do you follow?_

Robert felt like his head was spinning. "Yeah, I think."

_Good. Now, what you need to do, is learn how to use and control your powers. If you relax and reach into yourself, you should be able to feel your energy like a warm bubble in your stomach._

Robert started into the darkness like it was crazy.

_Well, what are you waiting for?_

The Goblin Prince jumped and took a deep breath. "Okay, okay! Take it easy!"

_You don't have time to take it easy. Now feel it out. Feel it pulsing in your arms and legs, feel it bubbling in your stomach._

"Yeah, yeah, I think..." Robert was surprised that he could so easily catch the feeling the Labyrinth was telling him about, but there it was, streaking through him like warm gold light, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. "Wow."

_Yes, now, focus on it, gather it all into the palm of your hand. Just focus on leading the energy there._

Robert held out his right hand and focused, feeling the light swirl and pulse down his arm, gathering heat in his palm. He opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. There was a small ball of golden light floating just above his warm palm. "Woah!"

_Whoops!_ The Labyrinth's consciousness suddenly pulled itself together, focusing on a point a few feet away from Robert. _Time's up._

With a loud crackling pop, Leilah came into existence along with Brian, who looked like something had scared him witless. They were wreathed in a soft, gray light.

"Leilah!" Robert stood and held up the golden ball. "Look!"

"Ha!" She yelped sarcastically. "So the little baby prince figured out how to use magic after all. How sweet."

"What?" Robert took a step back. "Are you okay?"

Leilah grinned maniacally. "Am I okay?" She laughed. "I'm fantastic." She held out her arms and the Shadows around them moved, twitching, flowing, reaching out to her fingertips. "You see, Robert, I remembered who I am."

"Wait." Robert took a step back, almost forgetting the glowing ball. He remembered just in time to keep it from snuffing out. "Who are you?"

"I," Leilah answered slowly, Shadows swirling in huge loops around her hands, "am the Lady of Night."

The Goblin Prince's eyes widened and he found himself wishing for his parents. _Don't drop the ball!_ The Labyrinth urged. _Use your power! _Robert looked at the light in his palm, and threw it at Leilah. While she laughed, a Shadow sprang up and swallowed the light.

"Did you know," she giggled, "that candles create more shadows rather than putting them out? Because before you light a candle, it's all one big shadow, but once you light it, there's tons of them. And," she added menacingly, "if the darkness is big enough, it can swallow candles whole."

There was another crackling pop, and Jareth was suddenly standing between Robert and Leilah.

The Lady of Night let out a whooping laugh. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"

Jareth wasted no time with words. He swung his arms together and released a huge burst of golden light that rushed at the Lady of Night.

Robert had never been so happy to see his father before in his life.

_Well, don't just stand there!_ The voice of the Labyrinth barked in his head, _help the Goblin King!_


	11. Brian's Words

**Chapter Eleven: Brian's Words**

"Oh!" Robert exclaimed aloud. "Right!" He focused again and soon held up another ball of golden light.

Leilah was wrapping Jareth in Shadows upon Shadows, laughing crazily. "You're only a dying star, Jareth!" She shouted. "You're no sun!"

Robert edged around and away from his father until he had a clear shot at Leilah, and threw the little ball of light. Just before it reached her a Shadow sprang up and swallowed it. Leilah looked at him and laughed. Then she adjusted the flow of Shadows so that a new stream of them began to swallow him up as well.

"No!" Robert yelled and tried to run away, but everywhere he turned, there were Shadows. He crouched on the ground, covering his head with his hands. "Dad! Mom! Labyrinth! Help!"

_Relax!_ The Labyrinth's voice commanded him. _She can't hurt your body. She can only invade your mind._

"It's right," Leilah's voice sighed inside Robert's head. "Unfortunately, I can hurt your body yet. I'd have to call a Labyrinth Monster out to do that for me. But, for the moment, toying with your mind will be enough." Cackling, she threw him into a memory of her own.

Robert watched as a very young Jareth shoved Leilah into a mud puddle, then laughed at her. The colors shifted, and he watched as a slightly older Jareth yelled at a slightly older Leilah to get out of his Labyrinth for ever. Leilah ran and ran until she was consumed by the darkness and the Shadows. It was the only place she could be. She wasn't wanted. But the Labyrinth had made her to be a friend for Jareth, to be loved by Jareth, and he had turned her away.

"So you see," Leilah's cold voice whispered in Robert's ear, "I was the victim all along. Your father was the bad guy. Whose side are you on, Robert? Whose side should you be on? All I ever did was try to be friends, and try to play nice. I didn't attack him until after he hurt my feelings, when he deserved it. You should be on my side, Robert. Think about all the ways your parents have hurt you, too. They gave you the Labyrinth without even asking you. They didn't teach you magic. They trapped you here. How can you still be on their side?"

Robert felt his will deflate. She was right. His parents had hurt him so many times. They had trapped him in the Labyrinth and made him hear the voice of the Labyrinth in his head for ever. The Shadows started to loosen around him, to release him. _It's not life that's fair,_ the voice of the Labyrinth echoed in his skull, _it's all our lives together. Your life is part of that fairness. Your actions contribute to that fairness. Think carefully before you act, Robert. You are my voice, so please, think about the Labyrinth as a whole before you do anything._

"Robert!" Sarah's voice screamed through the Shadows and Robert stood upright immediately, dislodging the last of them.

There was a mound of Shadows a few feet away from him that could only be his father. Brian was standing behind Leilah, terrified, but so far unnoticed or forgotten by the Lady of Night. His mother threw herself at him, hugging him so tightly he could hardly breathe.

"No!" Leilah extended an arm and the Goblin Queen was attacked by writhing Shadows.

Sarah shouted and backed away from Robert, struggling against them, trying to use her own powers of light to consume each Shadow in a bubble of light to extinguish it.

Leilah was laughing. "You see, Robert? I'm stronger! I'm stronger than both of them together! See? I'm the one who should be ruling the Labyrinth. I'm the one the Labyrinth made! I'm supposed to be the Queen, not that ugly upstart!"

Robert glanced from his parents to Leilah, then to Brian. Brian stood up straight, licked his lips, glanced at Leilah, then cupped his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Family first!"

That was right, wasn't it? It didn't matter if you didn't like your family. They were still your family, and you still had to take care of them, didn't you?

"Shut up!" Leilah covered Brian in Shadows.

Robert looked at Leilah, watching her concentrate all of her energy on her Shadows, her forehead sweating. Who was her family? Who were her parents? It was the Labyrinth, wasn't it? And he was supposed to be the voice of the Labyrinth. So Leilah was also part of his family, and her feelings had been hurt. Robert knew what he had wanted most when his feelings had been hurt, and he knew if he didn't do something Leilah was going drive everyone insane before killing them.


	12. Robert's Power

**Chapter Twelve: Robert's Power**

"Leilah," the Goblin Prince began to walk forward, "you're right. Your feelings got hurt."

She smiled at him. "I knew you'd understand."

"Yeah," Robert smiled back, "I do understand. I know what I always want when my feelings get hurt."

"You want revenge, right?" Leilah asked excitedly.

"No." Robert shook his head, now standing a few inches away from her. "I usually want something else." He opened his arms, reached around her, and gave her a hug.

Leilah was so surprised by this, that she lost all her concentration. Jareth and Sarah together blasted a huge ball of golden light into the sky that chased away all the Shadows.

"No!" Leilah screamed, fighting against Robert's hold. "No! They're mine! It's all mine! The Labyrinth is mine!"

Robert held her as tight as he could, letting her kick and punch and scratch him all she wanted.

"Step aside," Jareth announced. "You've done well, Robert. Your mother and I can take it from here."

"And this time," Sarah hissed, "she won't be coming back."

"No!" Robert shouted. "Everyone stop! I'm not going to let anyone hurt Leilah!"

"What?" Sarah asked in shock.

"Why not?" Brian stepped forward, brushing off the last of the Shadows that had bound him.

"Because her parent is the Labyrinth. It made her. It's her family, and if I'm the voice of the Labyrinth, then I'm her family, and you said it yourself, Brian. Family first."

"Son," Jareth stepped closer to the prince, "you can't do that. You can't just choose who your family is."

"No, I can't." Robert answered, still not letting go, even though Leilah had stopped struggling. "I can't just say you're not my father anymore, can I? But that's the point. You have to stop fighting with her." He lowered his voice, "and Leilah, you have to stop fighting them."

"No!" She writhed within his arms again. "I won't! They took away what was supposed to be mine! They trapped me in the darkness!"

"Shhh!" Robert whispered in her ear. "I know, I know. You felt like what they did was unfair. I know. Shhh. It's okay."

"No! It's not! I want my revenge!"

Robert stomped deliberately on her foot. "Shut up! Revenge won't fix anything."

Leilah stared at him.

"Look," Robert said more calmly, "if you kill them, and me, and Brian, then the Labyrinth will waste away. It needs us in order to thrive. You'll be destroying your own parent, your own family if you destroy us. So just stop it." Robert took a breath. "Dad, I think you should apologize to Leilah."

"I should what?" His voice was high and sharp.

"You should apologize." Robert repeated. "You were mean to her when you were kids, right?"

"Well, I was young..."

The words rose up from the back of his mind, "Leilah's feelings got hurt and you have to apologize." The Goblin Prince said again, "it doesn't matter if you meant to hurt her feelings or if you were just stupid because you were young. Her feelings got hurt and she blames you, so apologize, already."

The Goblin King's mouth open and shut soundlessly for a while, but he finally managed to spit out, "I'm sorry, Leilah."

"What about her?" Leilah demanded. "What about the girl who stole my throne?"

Robert had to squeeze her to get her to stand still again. "Mom, please."

Sarah sighed heavily. "I cannot believe that my own son-"

Anger rushed from the back of Robert's head. "I'm not just your son!" He shouted, his words echoing as soon as they left his mouth. "I'm the voice of the Labyrinth! You stole her place as Goblin Queen. Apologize."

The Goblin Queen staggered backwards a step, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She reached out to Jareth for support. "I didn't know what I was doing, or that it belonged to anyone else. I'm sorry, Leilah."

"Now," Robert looked firmly into Leilah's eyes, "you have to apologize."

"I what?" Leilah whispered. She suddenly realized how very close his nose was to hers and how very warm his chest was. "What did I do?"

"You tried to kill them twice," Robert answered slowly, calmly, "and you tried to become the only rule of the Goblins."

She glared at him like she wanted to kill him, but she clenched her teeth and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Good." Robert took a deep breath. _Let me speak, _the Labyrinth requested in his mind. _Sure,_ Robert thought back. _Go ahead._ Robert felt his throat and tongue move on their own, felt the heat of the energy of the Labyrinth flowing through him. "I am the Voice of the Labyrinth," his words echoed impressively. "Leilah was given the powers of shadow to balance Jareth's powers of light. I meant for her to become my Voice, but now that will not happen. Instead, I ask for this: give her a place at your court, raise her as your own, and give her the love every child craves from her parents. Robert may not become the main ruler of the Goblins, because his cares must be for me, the Labyrinth as a whole. However, Leilah may inherit the rule of the Goblins. Take her in and train her yourselves."

The Goblin Prince staggered back, releasing Leilah unintentionally, swaying side to side. Brian grabbed his shoulders to help steady him. Sarah and Jareth stood together, eyeing Leilah carefully. She glared back at them.

"Well," Robert whispered, then cleared his voice and said loudly, "you heard the Labyrinth." He turned to look his parents in the eyes. "Take her in. Let her become the Goblin Princess and eventually the Goblin Queen."

"Robert, darling," Sarah leaned forward and brushed her fingers across his searing hot forehead, never looking away from Leilah. "It's not that we don't want to, it's that we can't trust her."

"You're not listening!" Robert swatted her hand away. "Do you trust the Labyrinth?"

Sarah took a step back. "Yes, of course."

"Then trust her!" He pointed behind him at the dark-haired, pale-faced girl. "Do what the Labyrinth said!"

"Very well," Jareth drew himself up. "It seems we all should be getting back to the castle."


	13. Another Beginning

**Chapter Thirteen: Another Beginning**

Robert was standing under the peach trees, throwing various pieces of fruit at various unsuspecting tree trunks. _You did well,_ the Labyrinth reassured him. _I made everyone mad at me,_ Robert thought back. _Leilah hates me because I didn't take only her side. My parents hate me because I made them take in Leilah and promise not to attack her. Brian hates me because I kept him up all night._

_ Now, now,_ the Labyrinth tried to soothe him, _I don't think your cousin really hates you. I'm sure he's just glad to get back to his own life._

Robert sighed. _I wish I could do that._

_But you are doing that. You're back to your own life._

"Everything is different!" the Goblin Prince shouted at the sky, pelting one more peach at one more tree trunk. "My parents won't look at me, let alone talk to me, and Leilah glares at me every chance she can get! This isn't what my life used to be!"

_I think it's better._

Robert wanted something he could aim his incredulous stare at. "Better how?" He whispered.

_Well, now you've got a friend your own age to play with for one thing._

"She hates me." He shot another peach at a tree trunk that was already splattered with orange juice.

_Oh, she'll get past that. You just have to reach out to her. Try talking to her. Be nice to her. Give her things. Let her know you want to be her friend. She needs friends now just as much as you do._

Robert rolled his eyes at the sky. "How can I be her friend? She just tried to kill my entire family."

_It's like you said – she's part of your family, too, Robert. You've got to try. She needs you._

The Goblin Prince sighed at the setting sun. "I bet it's time for dinner soon anyway." He turned and trudged back toward the castle.

When he entered the dining hall, it was cramped with goblins jumping up and down in their seats, waiting for the meal to begin.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Sarah smiled at her son as he came to sit on the other side of his father.

"Where's Leilah?" Robert asked as he pulled out his chair.

Jareth threw up his hands. "She refuses to come down and eat."

Robert looked at the empty space that had been saved for Leilah. It was all the way at the other end of the table, as far from the royal family as possible. "I'll take her a plate." He picked up his own plate and goblet and left the room.

Up the stairs, around a corner, all the way down to the farthest end of the hallway, he knocked on the door. "Leilah? I've brought you some food." Actually, the plate was still empty, because Robert didn't feel like eating anything.

"Go away!" Her muffled voice sounded thick, as if her nose might be stuffy.

Robert rattled the doorknob. "Come on, Leilah! You have to eat something."

An object smashed against the inside of the door. "I hate you all!"

The Goblin Prince took a deep breath and felt for the bubble of energy in his stomach. He imagined himself vanishing and reappearing inside the room. He blinked and found himself inside the room.

Leilah's eyes widened. "How dare you..."

He held up the empty plate and goblet as a peace offering. "Here, take them. Think about what you want to eat and drink, and it'll give it to you."

She glared at him suspiciously before snatching away the plate and goblet. "I want," she muttered, "a chicken sandwich and a glass of milk."

The chicken sandwich popped into existence and the goblet noisily filled itself with milk.

Leilah looked into the goblet. "Chocolate milk." It changed immediately. She smiled. "I like this."

Robert smiled with relief. "Good. I'm glad. You know, you could come down and join everyone. There are some goblins so it's kind of a party."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "Goblins?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "You do like goblins, don't you?"

Leilah shook her head and turned to put her plate and goblet down on her bedside table. "I hate goblins." She sat down heavily on her bed. "They're ugly and nasty and rude."

"Well that's going to be a problem." The Goblin Prince approached the bed.

"What do you mean?" Leilah demanded, mouth full of chicken sandwich.

"Well, if you don't like goblins, you're not going to be a very good Goblin Princess, are you?"

"I am too a good Goblin Princess!" Bits of chicken flew out of her mouth.

"Alright then," Robert crossed his arms over his chest, "prove it. Do something nice for the goblins."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Fine. Tomorrow. After breakfast."

The Goblin Prince smiled. "Fine."

* * *

_Author's Note: And so, the rest of the story goes that Robert and Leilah became very good friends and he helped her to become a very good Goblin Princess, and eventually they got married. Jareth and Sarah started to like Leilah after a while, because it turned out she was really good with babies. So, they all lived happily ever after and I am now done with this fic. *celebrates* There could be more to write, but there could always be more to write. The purpose of this one was to give the Lady of Night a happy ending, because she really was picked on by Jareth and that started her on the whole evil thing in the first place, and I wanted her to have happiness at the end. Anyhoo, that's it for now, fellow laby fans. Hope you enjoyed it!_


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